Letter to the Editor: Deep River, Essex Voters Have Opportunity to Elect Much-Needed Third Registrar

Voters in Deep River and Essex will have a chance this year to elect a third registrar. Sean Ames is running as a write-in candidate in Deep River, and Alex Foster is running on the Green Party line in Essex. Under election law, the two major parties are guaranteed a registrar position, but if Ames and Foster get enough votes, they will be
elected, too.

It makes sense to have more than two registrars. The party registrars are elected to protect the interests of their parties, but the largest group of voters (40% in Essex, 45% in Deep River) are unaffiliated or minor party.

Recently, we’ve seen attempts by hackers, whether foreign or domestic, to break into voter databases across the nation. We’ve also seen clerical errors in the voter lists and attempts to remove voters because they share a name similar to another voter.

A third set of eyes is needed to improve the accuracy of the voter lists, to navigate the more complex election procedures mandated by the state, and to watch out for the interests of the growing number of voters who choose not to affiliate with one of the major parties, opting instead to join a third party or no party at all.